Days After Stockton Train Crash, Garamendi Calls for Passage of Railroad Safety Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Congressman John Garamendi (D-CA-08), a senior member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), Congressman John Rulli (R-OH-06), congressional colleagues, labor leaders, and local leaders called on Congress to pass the commonsense and bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2025.
"Three years since the disastrous Norfolk Southern train derailment, we have had our share of almost serious accidents in our region including in just recently in Stockton," said Rep. Garamendi. " That’s why I’m proud to co-lead the Railway Safety Act because this bill is immensely important in California, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area where we depend on rail to transport countless goods and services essential for our economy. We will continue to fight for commonsense and bipartisan reforms to make our train tracks safe. Rail safety is just too important."
In addition to Congressman Garamendi, the event was also attended by:
Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17)
Congressman Mike Rulli (OH-06)
Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01), Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17)
Matt Pacifico, Mayor of Altoona, PA
Michael Lombardo, Mayor of Pittston, PA
Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL–CIO
Michael Baldwin, President of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalman, Chairman of the Rail Labor Division of the Transportation Trades Department (AFL–CIO)
Edward Kelly, General President of the International Association of Firefighters
BACKGROUND:
The press conference was held yesterday, exactly three years after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Members of Congress, community leaders, and labor leaders called on the need to implement needed railroad safety reforms. Since East Palestine, communities across the country have endured more than 200 crashes and more than 3,100 derailments, including several incidents involving hazardous materials.
The Railway Safety Act includes measures that will keep workers and communities safe, including but not limited to:
Requiring two crewmembers to operate a train to avert a situation where only one person is present to respond to an emergency
Increasing the types of hazardous materials subject to enhanced safety protections, such as vinyl chloride, which was involved in the Norfolk Southern derailment
Requiring railroads to use defect detectors to help prevent derailments
Barring railroads from setting unsafe time limits on railcar, locomotive, and brake inspections
Holding railroads accountable for safety violations through increased fines
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